Everyday - mainichi (毎日）

Okay, I think I am getting the hang of things so far in Japan. So this time I can actually write about what I do on a daily basis.

Mornings- I have classes in the morning which means that I have to get up early every morning. I realize that I need to get up by 7am in order to adequately prepare for my morning classes. My okaasan makes breakfast which consists of a bowl a rice, sausage, egg, some kind of fruit and vegetables. Breakfast is very filling for me which is good because I have to ride my bike to school every morning. My ototo has to go to school by 7:58am and my otousan leaves before 7am to go to work.

Getting to School- In the mornings I have two options to get to school. First is the bus. I actually live in Nagao which is near Hirakata (where Kansai Gaidai is.) What I love and sometimes hate about the Japanese bus system is how punctual it is. It if leaves at 7:42am...it really leaves at that time. All the stops are announced but everything is in Kanji. There is no furigana or kana (phonetic alphabet) at all so you really have to know where you get off because the stops sound similar to each other. There are two things that deters me from taking the bus. One is the fact that it costs 220-250 yen a ride so around $2.50. That is expensive. Another thing is that I'm faster than the bus. The bus route goes in a roundabout way in order to serve the most people and it also stops a lot. If I need to get to get to school on time I just use my bike to avoid the hassle.

Getting to School (part 2) - I'm very lucky that my host family has a bike for me. Having a bike in Japan is quite useful. I see a lot of people riding the bike to school and work. Bikes are legally considered as vehicles. So you are subjected to the same traffic rules as cars. Like you can't ride a bike drunk and have to ride in the street with cars. I'm not sure about the former but everyone seems to disobeys the latter from what I see everyday. You are also not allowed to ride on the sidewalk (legally anyway) but people do that anyway. Well, it takes me 20mins to 30mins to bike to Kansai Gaidai. I ride on both the sidewalk and with cars. I'm quite paranoid about cars so I ride slowly. Cars go out of their way to avoid you but still... So far, I like the commute. I consider it punishment for not exercising during winter break. The scenery during my commute is nice because I live in a relatively rural area where there are still rice paddies around.

Morning Classes- I'm a ryuugakusei which is in Japanese, an international student. So I in the mornings I have Spoken Japanese and Reading & Writing Japanese. The times and rooms change on a daily basis which is very annoying. Right now I am level 2 for both classes. Spoken Japanese is required. The other class isn't but in order to do well you really need to take both classes. Both classes reinforce each other. In the beginning I thought being in level 2 Japanese was shameful because I started studying Japanese on my own in the 8th grade and took two semesters of it in college. But I realized...I never actually used what I learned. Level 2 is the right level for me to build my confidence in speaking Japanese. The problem with the class is that I'm not struggling at all and in fact I'm pushing myself more outside of class to learn more Japanese.

Lunch- In Kansai Gaidai there are a few places to eat. There is the on campus Konbini which is more expensive than the 7/11 across the street but you pay for convenience. In Japan konbini food is quite unhealthy but delicious. They have snacks, candy, drinks, and pan. Pan in Japanese means bread but there is so much variety here. They range from sandwiches to pastries. Then there is the McDonalds. I'll go there eventually. Everyone says that is is better than American's McDonalds. I can believe it but c'mon I'm in Japan. There is the 'expensive' cafeteria which is hidden next to the zen garden. You put money in a machine, pick a meal from the display case, and get a ticket. That's it. Then the one I go to most often is called the 'cheap' cafeteria. It serves all Japanese style food and you actually have to speak in Japanese to order. The portions are large for me but the food is usually pretty good.

Afternoon Classes- I think the school calls them elective courses. The minimum you can take is 2 and maximum is 3. I'm required to take 3. My classes are "Issues in Contemporary Japanese Society and Culture," "Labor, Culture & HRM in Japan," and "Political Economies of East Asia."Afternoon Classes begin at 1pm and end by 5:20pm. All classes meet twice a week and for 70 min increments. Honestly the classes are not that hard. What makes the classes more interesting (beside the fact that I've met people from all over the world) is that Japanese students who are going to study abroad take these classes to practice English. Befriending them is a good way for you to practice your Japanese and for them to practice their English.

MISC.- After classes, I usually lounge around the CIE lounge and hang out with friends until I have to go home. I don't have a curfew but I like to make it in time for dinner. I also prefer to leave before the sun sets so I don't have to ride my bike in dark.

Dinner- Dinner time varies everyday. My okaasan works at night teaching English classes so she prepares my dinner ahead of time during those days. Usually dinner is around 7-8pm. My chores so far is setting the table (a chore unheard of in my house at home) and clearing the table after dinner. I really like the structure of dinner time. The family sits together to eat at the kotatsu watching TV. My okaasan like to make meals with a little meat but a lot of vegetables. I feel fatter because I eat so much but feel healthier at the same time.

Bedtime Rituals- My newest chore is making the bath (ofuro in Japanese.) Bath time is important in Japanese culture. At home growing up I had to take a shower every morning. In Japan, I have to take a bath everyday. Usually, there is a bathing order but in my house there is none. It all depends on the day. My otousan like to jump in the bath first once he gets back from work. Then it would my ototo, then me, and finally my okaasan. Bathing in Japan means washing and rinsing your hair and body thoroughly before you step in to 44 degree Celsius water or 114 Fahrenheit water. Your skin burns red like a lobster at first but you get used to it. It is relaxing...especially for me because my body is sore from riding a bike and all the mental stress I endure for getting lost all the time.

Night- By 9pm my ototo and otousan go to bed. Before that we all sit at the kotatsu and watch TV for a while. I usually chat with my okaasan, do homework, or use my laptop. By 11 my okaasan goes to bed. I stay up until 12am to do whatever I'm doing which is being unproductive half of the time.

To make my homestay run as smoothly as possible I really try not to be a picky eater. I try to eat everything. So far the strangest thing I have eaten so far is fish ovaries in sushi. My okaasan really appreciates the fact that I'm easy to feed.

I also adapted myself to their schedule. I make sure to eat with the family everyday and spend the least amount of time in my room. I take a bath every night. So on and so forth.

That's my day.